Adding a second motorcycle to the family

A Rider’s Journey: This is the eighty in a series of blog posts by DeAnna DeCaluwe about her journey to recreate her father’s last ride.

That’s right, we couldn’t have just one motorcycle in our family. It’s no fun to ride alone (although I actually think it really would be—I’m just not brave enough to do it yet).

Bike No. 2, aka my hubby’s bike, was found offered for sale by an owner in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. My husband drove the 50 miles north to take a look, and the bike ended up finding its way back to Mosinee and in our garage. My husband’s style is a bit different than mine—he wanted a fairing and something lower to the ground than my Honda Shadow. Bike No. 2 is a 650 Yamaha V Star.

In any case, our garage now holds two motorcycles that we are anxious to get out on the road and ride. Now we just need to find a day off and a babysitter—two things that are very hard to come by during baseball season. Did I mention our kids also play baseball?

Time to ride

The good news is I haven’t tipped the bike over recently. The clutch and I seem to be getting along a bit better these days.

I made my first “big” trip recently—we were invited to a friend’s cabin in Harshaw, Wisconsin. With beautiful weather forecasted for the entire weekend, I decided to follow my husband and kids (who were in our SUV) to the cabin on the bike for some much-needed practice.

With heavy traffic typically headed to the Wisconsin northwoods on the interstate on a Friday afternoon in the summer, coupled with my fear of driving on the interstate, we took back roads most of the way north. It was a beautiful drive filled with twists, turns, straightaways, small towns, and farm fields. It was truly a beautiful ride and great practice.

I have to say, however, the best part was not in the ride itself. As soon as we pulled up safely to the cabin, I stopped the bike and all the kids came running. Our friend’s daughter, a beautiful 7-year-old, looked at me, still in my helmet and all of my gear, and said, “Who are you?” I didn’t say a word—I simply took off my helmet, and when I did her eyes got big and she smiled. She was expecting a man, but instead she saw me—a girl. And she thought it was awesome!

DeAnna DeCaluwe, a married mother of two boys, is the newest member of the Dairyland Cycle family. To recreate her father’s last ride, DeAnna is learning to ride this summer. Join her as she takes a rider’s journey.